1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for separating flowing substances, including fluids and solids, by means of centrifugal separation, and more particularly to a voraxial filter system adapted with a self-cleaning filter apparatus for providing auxiliary upstream and/or downstream filtration and separation of substances.
2. Description of the Background Art
Cyclone or centrifugal separators have been used in many applications to separate one fluid form another on the basis of specific gravity, whether or not those substances are of the same or different physical states and particularly for the separation of light liquids from heavy liquids and gases from liquids. In addition, centrifugal separators have been adapted to separate solids of varying densities and/or solids from fluids.
An inventor of the present invention has contributed to advancements in the art of centrifugal separation of miscible and immiscible media, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,840, issued to DiBella on May 18, 1999, which disclosure is incorporated herein as part of this disclosure by reference. An inventor of the present invention has also contributed to determining the identity and concentration of substances in a multi-component medium by measuring the spectral response of fluid media as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,980, issued to Anthony on Aug. 3, 1991, which disclosure is incorporated herein as part of this disclosure by reference. As disclosed in the '840 patent, the combined teachings provide a voraxial separation system that includes pump means delivering a continuously flowing column of the media from a media source, a separation tube through which a column of the flowing media is continuously passed, means for spinning the column about the axis of the tube at sufficient speed that centrifugal force within the column causes the component media to separate into radial layers, extraction conduit means for selectively extracting one or more of the radial layers from the tube, bleeder means for introducing a fluid such as air into the tube to alter the diameter of the radial layers, and a probe and spectrophotometer which provides monitoring and automatic feed back means for measuring the component medium content as the media enters and exits the separation tube and for adjusting the rotational speed of the media and the rate of fluid introduction from the bleeder means. An alternative to the bleeder means is provided in the form of a mechanism for altering the diameter of the extraction conduit means.
With virtually any type of centrifugal separation apparatus, however, a potential exists for relatively small quantities of substances to remain entrained in the flow and pass through the separation apparatus. As a result, attempts have been made to improve the separation efficiency of such systems by addition of additional stages of centrifugal separation and/or by the addition of non-centrifugal filtration means. These attempts, however, have met with limited success. It has been found that certain substances are not adequately separated by additional stages of centrifugal separation devices. It has also been found that downstream filters are susceptible to clogging, thereby requiring time consuming maintenance and cleaning.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a flowable media voraxial separation system which separates one or more fluids and/or solids of different specific gravities and/or densities by centrifugal separation means wherein separation efficiency is increased by use of a self-cleaning filter system specifically adapted for capturing one or more substances and releasing captured substances in response to filter loading.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a voraxial system wherein the non-centrifugal filter is adapted so as to be self-cleaning.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such a voraxial system wherein filter-cleaning cycles are periodically or continuously controlled in response to filter loading.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a self-cleaning tubular filter having a radially inner rotating spray tube that functions to clean the tubular filter by selective application of a pressurized fluid.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a self-cleaning tubular filter having a radially inner rotating spray tube which functions to clean the tubular filter by selective application of a pressurized fluid wherein the pressurized fluid may comprise a pressurized gas or a pressurized liquid.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a self cleaning tubular filter having a radially inner rotating spray tube which functions to clean the tubular filter wherein the spray tube rotates at sufficient revolutions per minute so as to create a vortex within the tubular filter to effect finer separation of substances.
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.